5 elegant font pairings for modern brands

Font choice says a lot about your brand. Different typefaces tell your audience whether your brand is playful or sophisticated, classic or modern, youthful or mature. Therefore, before you go about looking for font pairings for your brand, you should make sure you have a solid understanding of the tone, voice, and aesthetic of your brand.

In today’s post, I’m sharing 5 elegant font pairings that are perfect for modern brands. Brands that are both elegant and modern should portray an image of sophistication and minimalism. As you’ll see in the examples below, an elegant serif heading font pairs well with a more modern sans serif body font.

Does the first font pairing look familiar? It should–Playfair Display and Open Sans are my own brand fonts. When crafting my brand identity, I aimed to convey both an elegant and modern side, since those adjectives align well with my ideal clients, as well as my personal taste.

Selecting elegant font pairings for modern brands may seem counterintuitive. Elegant can sometimes imply that a style is refined and classic–in some ways, the opposite of modern, which is generally more youthful and current. However, when done well, I believe a brand can convey both elegance and modernity without contradicting itself.

Let’s look at some examples of modern, trendy brands that also exude timeless elegance. In particular, the combination of elegant and modern works well for new, luxury brands that target millennials.

Modern brands that feature elegant font pairings

Shopbop

According to their About page, Shopbop is the “go-to online retail destination for modern style.” The brand features a clean and minimalist aesthetic. Shopbop sells both luxury and “new luxury” brands that are popular among millennials. When I view their website, I can’t help but think of Instagram influencers and the new rich. All of these features are conveyed in part by their use of fonts.

Shashi

Shashi is a high-end, minimalist jewelry brand that offers a combination of timeless and trendy designs. Their website is clean and simple and features a classic heading font paired with a sans serif body font. Popular among millennials, Shashi’s jewelry looks expensive and classy but won’t break the bank.

The Laundress

The Laundress is a unique brand that makes the chore of doing laundry feel glamorous. How? That’s the magic of branding. Similar to the above examples, Shashi pairs an elegant serif font with a modern sans serif to play up the classy-yet-trendy factor.

What do you think of these font pairings? If you love them, be sure to share this post to help spread the word. In addition, feel free to get in touch if you need help developing your brand identity and style–it’s what I do best!

Free Mini Branding Course

Sign up to receive 5 days of actionable branding lessons in your inbox. By day 5, you’ll have a solid understanding of your brand values and positioning, and you’ll be well equipped to start attracting your ideal clients. See you there!